Vehicle-shaft.



- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH B. HAUG, OF s'r. BENEDICT, KANSAS.

VEHICLE-SHAFT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 671,553, dated April 9, 1901.

Application filed January 28, 1901. Serial No. 45,053. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH B. HAUG, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of St. Benedict, county of Nemaha, State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicle-Shafts, of which the following is a full and clear specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of the front portion of a buggy provided with my improvements; Fig. 2, a vertical section thereof on the line 2 2, and Fig. 3 a detail plan of the draft-rod to which the singletree is secured.

The object of my invention is to provide simple means whereby the draft-animal may travel at one side of the middle of the road, in the same path he would take if he were hitched with a mate, and at the same time permit the buggy or other vehicle to run in the middle of the road without appreciable side draft. The desirability of this appliance is very great in localities where most of the traffic is carried on with two-horse teams and the road-bed is so clayey that such teams soon work up a central ridge, which when dry or frozen presents a serious obstacle to a single horse hitched in the ordinary manner.

Referring to the drawings by letters, at designates the shafts, which are connected to the axle b by the ordinary thill-couplings and which are both curved or bent laterally at a point just forward of the cross-bar e to bring the line of draft d of the horse to the right of the draft-line d of the vehicle. An additional curved bar or brace c connects the left shaft to the cross-bar 6 about mid-length of the latter.

The singletree is pivotally connected by means of a clip f upon the upper side of the forward end of a draft-rod g, which extends diagonally rearward and downward and is pivotally connected to the axle at a distance to the left of the draft-line d approximately equal to the distance the pivotpin of the singletree is set to the right of the said draftline, the pivotal point of this draft-rod being in line with the pivots of the thills, so that it will not hinder the free vertical swinging of the shafts. The pivot of the singletree is in the line of draft d, and to the forward end of the draft-rod is attached a lateral arm g, which extends to the left and is bolted to the top of the cross-bar e at a point in line with the vehicle draft-line d. To hold the forward end of the draft-rod down to the cross-bar, but not secure it rigidly thereto at that point, I attach to the under side of the draft-rod a clip h, which loosely embraces said cross-bar.

It will be observed that when the horse draws on the singletree the peculiar arrangement of the draft-rod and its lateral armapv plies the draft centrally of the vehicle, without appreciable side draft.

It will be observed that this invention is applicable not only to buggies, but also to all kinds of vehicles.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is In combination with a vehicle, a pair of shafts connected by a cross-bar, said shafts being connected to the vehicle and bent laterally to bring the line of draft of the draftanimal to one side of the line of draft of the vehicle, a draft-rod extending from the line of draft of the animal across the line of draft of the vehicle and connected to the same, this draft-rod being provided with a lateral arm connecting its forward end to the cross-bar approximately coincidently with the line of draft of the vehicle, and a draft device, as a singletree, connected to the forward end of the draft-rod.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aifix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses, this 12th day of January, 1901.

JOSEPH B. I-IAUG.

Witnesses:

BARNEY BUESSING, FRANK H. BLocKEE. 

